The valleys in the river's catchment area are broad rather than gorge-like as in the nearby Carnarvon Gorge, with isolated bluffs and pillars of sandstone on sandy plains.

[4] The Maranoa passes through Mitchell and flows south towards St George.

The Balonne eventually flows into the Darling River (via a few branches), so it contributes to the Murray-Darling Basin.

From source to mouth, the Maranoa is joined by 31 tributaries including the Merivale River and descends 366 metres (1,201 ft) over its 519-kilometre (322 mi) course.

The river's name was recorded by explorer Thomas Mitchell on 13 May 1846 in his Journal of an expedition into the interior of tropical Australia.